Ms. Khanh began to pay attention to her 8-year-old daughter Khanh An's vaccination schedule after reading news about critical meningococcal infection cases, some resulting in death.

She explained that her child previously received vaccinations at a local health station. During the Covid-19 outbreak, the family moved their child to their hometown in Long An; travel difficulties sometimes disrupted the vaccination schedule. Afterward, the school organized additional vaccinations, leading the family to believe their child was fully protected.

"Partially due to oversight, and partially because my husband and I were busy with work, and our child studied from morning until 21:00, we were slow to take her for vaccinations. Fortunately, she hasn't experienced serious health problems so far", she said.

According to a doctor at VNVC District 8, a review of Khanh An's vaccination history showed she had not received sufficient doses of the 6-in-1 vaccine and pneumococcal vaccine; she also lacked booster shots for Japanese encephalitis and measles-mumps-rubella, among others. After consultation, Ms. Khanh registered her child for supplementary vaccinations according to a suitable schedule.

Khanh An receives a pre-vaccination screening from a doctor at VNVC District 8. Photo: Hoang Duong.

Similarly, Mr. Tuan, 41, from Hanoi, took his 12-year-old son for an HPV vaccination before a summer trip and was advised by the doctor to get several missing vaccines. For many years, the family only remembered the vaccines in the Expanded Program on Immunization, overlooking pneumococcal, meningococcal, HPV, and age-appropriate booster shots.

"Occasionally, our child would have a fever or cough, but my wife and I thought children often get minor illnesses, so we didn't pay attention to booster schedules. Only when the doctor checked did we realize some doses hadn't been administered for too long", he said, adding that the family would still go on their planned trip and registered for supplementary vaccinations for their child after returning.

Doctor Nguyen Duc Ba Dat, Medical Manager for the VNVC Vaccination System, stated that since early summer, VNVC centers have seen many parents bringing children to review their vaccination schedules, especially before trips, summer camps, or visits to their hometowns. Vaccines of particular interest include flu, pneumococcal, meningococcal, dengue fever, and Japanese encephalitis.

However, many people are surprised to learn their children are missing vaccines or have forgotten booster shots. According to Doctor Dat, this situation is quite common during and after the Covid-19 period, as many families were hesitant to visit health facilities, changed residences, or no longer regularly tracked vaccination records. Many parents are learning for the first time that the Japanese encephalitis vaccine in the Expanded Program on Immunization requires a booster shot every three years to maintain protective efficacy.

"Many also believe the flu vaccine only needs to be administered once, whereas this vaccine requires an annual booster because the flu virus continuously mutates. Some children have only received one dose of measles-mumps-rubella or chickenpox, which is not a complete regimen", Doctor Dat said.

Children are brought by parents for dengue fever vaccination to prevent the disease before summer. Photo: Hoang Duong.

During the 2024-2025 period, a measles epidemic broke out in our country with tens of thousands of suspected cases and many measles-related deaths. Seasonal flu also records hundreds of thousands of cases each year. Additionally, many severe cases of Japanese encephalitis, invasive meningococcal infections, and severe dengue fever are among those who have not been vaccinated or have not received enough recommended doses.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends timely vaccination to maintain community immunity, prevent vaccine-preventable diseases, protect public health and lives, and limit the risk of major outbreaks.

Doctor Dat advises parents to regularly check their children's vaccination records and complete any missing doses, especially before summer, the start of the school year, or when children are preparing to travel or participate in crowded activities.

Tuan Kiet